Swedish Covenant Hospital recently held the hospital’s first Nurse/Physician Excellence Award ceremony. The award, pioneered and overseen by Kathy Donofrio, CNO, and the nursing staff, celebrates physicians who promote best relationships with the nurses through communication, collaboration and responsiveness. Patrick Lau, M.D., Anesthesiology; Steven Koopman, M.D., Urology and Sarah Sungurlu, D.O., Critical Care fellow, are the first recipients of this inaugural award.
“I want to congratulate and recognize the three physicians who received this award and all of the physicians who were nominated by the nursing staff,” said President and CEO Mark Newton. “The Nurse/Physician Excellence Award exemplifies Swedish Covenant Hospital’s emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. As an organization, we are always looking for ways to improve our care, and communication between members of the medical staff is an important component in achieving that goal.”
After receiving 71 nominations for 33 physicians, three Swedish Covenant Hospital physicians were selected. The criteria by which these physicians were selected included the following areas of excellence: responding to calls in a timely manner, exhibiting and explaining best practice methods, being open and responsive to feedback, showing and expressing gratitude and appreciation for the hard work of the staff and displaying kindness and compassion to team members.
“I can’t tell you how honored I am to receive this award,” said Dr. Koopman. “It serves to express that the relationships between our physicians and nurses are important to all of us.”
“The ICU wouldn’t be able to function without the nursing staff,” said Dr. Sungurlu. “They are extremely helpful in delivering quality, timely care to our patients. I’m privileged to have been presented this recognition.”
To establish an environment that allows us to excel in safety, the best possible outcomes and a positive experience, we proudly recognize the importance of a cohesive team focused on collaborating seamlessly with one another to streamline treatment, avoid misunderstanding and deliver quality care.
“Swedish Covenant Hospital would not be able to deliver the quality care that we do every single day without the collaboration of the whole team: physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians and all other medical professionals,” said Dr. Lau. “I am honor not by what I have received today, but by what we have accomplished together.”
In conclusion, the hospital would like to thank Kathy Donofrio, vice president and chief nursing officer, Madelyn Trejo, director of surgical services, Bonnie Ossmo, administrative assistant for nursing administration, and the Swedish Covenant Hospital nursing staff who took the time to develop the criteria, nominate the physicians and select the recipients. And congratulations to all of the nominated physicians!
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® nurses, please read
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